This invention relates to systems of speaker arrangements for stereo or other multi-channel program material, which systems use three or more individual speakers or sound transducers.
In the conventional system of stereo speaker arrangement, two speakers (eg. a left speaker and a right speaker) are typically positioned at opposite ends of a room or the dashboard of a car. However, in car stereo speaker arrangements for example, when the stereo balance control is properly set for the driver, who is physically closer to the left speaker at the left end of the dashboard, the front seat passenger, who is physically closer to the right speaker at the right end of the dashboard, will perceive an unbalanced stereo image which is shifted too far to the left. Also, if the stereo balance control is set so that a person positioned generally equidistant between the left and right speakers perceives a stereo image having equal audio level right and left components, both the driver and the passenger of the vehicle will perceive unbalanced stereo images which are shifted too far to the right, and too far to the left, respectively. Typically, the dashboard of an automobile is about five to six feet wide, so that a balanced stereo image will be perceived only by a person sitting in the middle of the car, assuming the balance control is adjusted so that the two speakers emit substantially equal audio power. Therefore, in most such environments, only one person will be able to enjoy a balanced stereo image at any one time.